


Number Neighbor

by sovtace



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace is a chad, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Canon Non-Binary Character, Developing Relationship, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Modern Era, Multi, OC can be a bitch sometimes but fear not ace is here, OC/Portgas D.Ace, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Trust Issues, enby, non-binary original character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:56:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26979943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sovtace/pseuds/sovtace
Summary: number neighbor» a number neighbor is someone who has the same (cell) phone number as you, except the last digit is one lower or higher. making them, your so called 'number neighbor'.~ modern authe word 'number neighbor' spread across the new world highschool like wildfire, everyone seems to be talking about it. wether if it was in class, hallway, heck it even became a topic to talk about in the bathroom. curiosity got the best of ace and other people close to him, so he tried contacting his 'number neighbor' to see what was so exciting about it. nonetheless, he didnt regret hopping on to the 'number neighbor trend'. because of it, he found someone he thought he would never come across to in his lifetime.~ Enby!OC x Ace^ this story involves identity crisis, hate towards the lgbtq+ community, eating disorder, depression, and other mental health stuff.  the story may also trigger some people, so please read at your own risk's. of course, i will put trigger warnings before they start.⌜ if there are any offensive words i wrote, please point it out as soon as possible ! if you also have any critism regarding my grammar and vocabulary, leave it in the comments⌝" enjoy reading !! "
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo & Original Character(s), Monkey D. Luffy/Portgas D. Ace/Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Portgas D. Ace/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

_chapter zero;_  
❝ **PROLOGUE** ❞

•••

**_ Ace's POV _ **

➛ At the ASL household ·₊̣̇.

"OII LUFFYYY!! HURRY UP OR WE WONT BE ABLE TO CATCH A BUS TO SCHOOL TODAY!" I yelled "HAIIII" Luffy responded. 

I pulled out my phone from my pocket, checking twitter to see if theres any new exciting news. I opened the app and the first thing i saw on my tl was a thread of information about this..new 'trend' called _'texting your number neighbor' ._ I scrolled down the thread hoping to find out what this 'number neighbor' thing is, but..i got no luck. I didnt understand a single thing that they explained in the thread, it was either i was too dumb or..well.. they just used words that i didnt understand. Not that im a dumba- haha.. **no.**

As i was about to do some more research on this 'number neighbor' trend, Sabo walked inside the room and suddenly yelled "LUFFY! HURRY UP THE BUS IS WAITING OUTSIDE ALREADY!" In which, startled my ass off as i almost dropped my phone.   
I glared at Sabo, tick marks growing on my head in which he only responded with a sheepish smile. _'That bastard-'_ i thought to myself. _'Wait.. since_ _Sabo_ _is smarter than me..perhaps he can help explain to me what this '_ _Number Neighbor'_ _is'_ i thought. 

"Oi, Sabo-"  
"NE, SABO?!" Luffy yelled from his room, interrupting me. Making me grow more tick marks on my head.

"YES, LUFFY? WHAT IS IT??" Sabo responded, in the **same** yelling tone.  
Honestly, at this point i just gave up asking him and putted my phone back in my pocket calmly. Sabo seems to be looking at my direction with wide eyes, he probably expected me to lash out on him or something like that. Lets just say, i stayed up all night yesterday and barely had time to sleep so now i dont have any energy to even be mad.

"What?" I asked Sabo who was still looking at me with wide eyes  
"Nothing, are you in a good mood today?" He responded.  
"Nope." I said, with the 'P' popping out. "Its the complete opposite actually, i just dont have any energy to be mad today." I said.

"Oh." Sabo frowned at my response. "Did you pull an all nighter again?" He asked me with a slight worried tone.   
"Kind of??" I responded. Sabo opened his mouth but closed it back, trying to think of a way to comfort or lecture me but he just ended up silent.  
"Sabo, i'm alright i can reassure you. I dont pull an all nighters often, just this once" I said to him, trying to convince him im fine. His face softened as soon as i said that. "Alright, but dont accidentally doze off this time while doing assignments" He said as he chuckled lightly.

"HEY THAT WAS ONE TIM-" I tried to say, but my words got interrupted by a **CERTAIN** raven haired little brother of mine.  
"NE, SABO?! DID YOU SEE MY HAT ANYWHERE??" Luffy yelled   
Sabo opened his mouth to respond but i beat him to it, "CHECK YOUR BAG IDIOT! I PUTTED IT IN THERE YESTERDAY" I yelled  
Silence. 

"SHISHISHISHI~! FOUND IT!! THANKS ACE" Luffy yelled as he made his way down to the front door, grinning widely to both me and sabo. I grinned back.  
"All done? Lets go then, the bus is waiting outside" Sabo said as he walked out of the front door, followed by a grinning luffy and then me. 

We locked our house and entered the bus. I take my usual seat, which was in the back because me , sabo , and luffy can sit side to side together. I dozed off when the bus started moving.

**_⌜ 20 Minute_ ** **_Timeskip_ ** **_⌟_ **

"OII OII Ace~" Someone said as they poked my cheeks repeatedly. Finally, i woke up from my quick nap and eyed my surroundings. Luffy, kept poking my cheeks while Sabo just sat there smiling while reading his book, He glanced up and turned his face towards my direction and quickly bookmarked a page as he closed the book he was reading.

"Woke up yet?" Sabo asked. Still smiling  
I mumbled a lazy 'yeah' but it just came out as "Mhm.." as i nod my head up and down.   
"We arrived at school already, come on. We dont wanna be late to class again or you'll get into _detention_ again" Sabo said 

My eyes widened as he said the word 'Detention' and let me tell you..When i **DASHED** out of the bus quickly to get to class so i dont get sent into detention again. Man i felt like sonic not gonna lie- All i heard behind me was Sabo's and Luffy's laughs. I turned my back to face them and rolled my eyes playfully before turning back to my original direction and ran to my first class. Which was.. Combat class.

I finally found the class and forced my feet to stop moving. It made a _**'**_ _ **ScrEeEeeChH**_ _ **'**_ sound before fully stopping which caused students near me to look at my direction and sending glares towards me. _'Oh god i didnt mean to make myself the center of attention'_

I gave them a wide smile before scratching the back of my neck and saying "Sorry..I didnt mean to haha" In which, they just ignored it and resumed to whatever they were doing before.  
I quietly slid open the door, revealing my friends; Marco and Thatch sitting besides each other and talking. I went up to them and waved my hands "OII!! MARCO! THATCH!" I yelled while grinning like a dumbass

They both looked up at the source of the sound and looked at me before smiling and waving back "Good morning-yoi. I'm surprised you arent late this time." Marco said  
"Hey now thats rude!" I said while pouting at marco  
Thatch snorted at my response and said "But he's true, It's rare that you didnt come late this time" he smirked.

 _'Oh wow_ _assho_ _-'_  
"Sheesh.. I just wanted to change and i thought you'd be rooting for me. Guess not" I said while 

rolling my eyes playfully. Both Marco and Thatch grinned at me widely while Thatch patted an empty seat beside him and says "We're jokiiiing~ Come sit beside me this time instead of sitting beside Marco all day" 

I grinned back at him and sat on the seat beside Thatch. Immediately letting go of my back and starting up a convo with them.  
"Ne, Ace-yoi?" Marco asked  
"Hmn?" I responded while glancing up at him. "What is it?" I asked  
"Did you see the thing thats trending on Twitter already-yoi?"

I tilted my head confused, _'Trending?? Twitter?.. OH THAT NUMBER NEIGHBOR THING!'_ I thought as it finally clicked. "Yea i have, is it the 'Number Neighbor' Thing?" I responded. "Yeah-yoi. I was thinking about texting mine, if i have one of course." Marco said

"I'm PREEETYYY sure everyone has one Marco. I mean, the amount of people living in this planet that owns a phone is alot. I'm sure you have one." Thatch said as he made the 'Y' sound longer. I snorted at that.  
_'Ah, this is a great opportunity to ask Marco what Number neighbor means..'_ I thought to myself

"Ne, Marco?" I asked him  
"Yeah-yoi? What is it?"  
"What does Number Neighbor mean again?" I asked 

...  
_Silence._  
The two of them just looked at me like i was stupid or something. Not that they're wrong, i indeed am stupid. I wont admit that out loud though...I dont even think i need to admit that out loud actually- 

Thatch broke the silence with a loud snort  
"PFFT- BAHAH- WAIT- OH MY GOSH-" He said while wheezing  
"You seriously just asked what Number Neighbor means? Didnt you see a tweet thread that consists of information about it-yoi?" Marco asked, with a bored expression on his face

"W-Well.. I did.. But.." I said, unintentionally stuttering.  
"But..?" Marco continued.  
"But.. I didnt really get it because of the words they used in the thread.. and i was too lazy to open up a dictionary or something like that.." I responded

Marco just looked at me with a bored expression before sighing  
He then explained the meaning of Number Neighbor is and how to find out your Number Neighbours number.. (If that even makes sense)   
My mouth formed an 'o' shape when he finished explaining, i finally get what it means now. _'Thanks Marco. A lifesaver unlike a certain brunette that i know whos currently sitting beside me and laughing his ass of instead of helping me.'_ I thought to myself as i mentally rolled my eyes 

"Ohh alright. I get it now, Thanks marco!" I grinned  
"No problem-yoi. Thatch get your ass up, The teach is gonna enter the class soon and you dont wanna cause problems." Marco said to Thatch, who finally stopped laughing and got up and properly sat.

With that, the teacher came in and started teaching.

_**⌜** _ _**Timeskip** _ _**To The End Of School** _ _**⌟** _

_'Finally.. School is done. Now i can go back home to my lover~'_ I thought to myself. (A/N:: Lover is his bed. yes, **bed**.) I happily walked out of my last classroom and dashed to the front gates, spotting my brothers; Luffy and Sabo waiting in the gates i frantically waved my hands at them while grinning widely. They both returned the same act towards me.

I catched up to them and said "Home?"  
"Yep. Home" Sabo answered while smiling  
"Shishishi!~ I cant wait to eat meat at home.. Sabo, you'll cook today right? Your cooked meat ALWAYS tastes so good shishishi~ I cant wait" My younger brother, Luffy said enthusiastically while drooling. 

"Mhm, I'll do it today. No worries Luffy, I'll make alot as usual" Sabo responded  
And with that, we headed home.

**_⌜_ ** **_Timeskip_ ** **_To The ASL Household ⌟_ **

_'HOME!'_ I thought to myself, grinning wildly as sabo unlocks the front door. Me being impatient, i just practically dashed through the door and went straight to my room as the door unlocked. Seeing my comfy COMFY bed.. I faceplanted right into it. _'Ah.. Bed~ I missed youuu'_

I pulled out of my thoughts and changed my clothes

After i was done changing, i immediately covered myself with blankets and just..absorbing the softness from the blankets. _'Heaven. This is heaven~'_  
I immediately got pulled out of my thoughts as i remember what Marco told me this morning about number neighbors

My mind right now is just debating between if i should go try and text or not, it went on for a good 10 minutes until i finally decide to text.  
I take a huge breath and pulled out my phone and entered my phone number but instead, the last digit is higher than my last digit.

_ Number Neighbor :D _  
_last online 34 minutes ago_

_4:37 PM_

Me :

Hello? 

_ Read by Number Neighbour :D at 4:40 PM _

•••

To Be Continued.  
•••


	2. Anxious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like the chapter title, just ace being anxious over one simple text

_**Ace's POV** _

My hands were shaking as i typed a simple 'Hello?' to my number neighbors number. Heck, why am i even this nervous typing a simple greeting to someone?   
Right after i pressed the sent button, i was getting more nervous.

...  
They read it.  
THEY READ THE MESSAGEFUHEJWDF

 _'Okay now Ace.. calm down. Calm the fuck down, you dont need to get this anxious over a message. a MESSAGE. People message you everyday, heck even your fangirls somehow managed to find your phone number and text you and you didnt get nervous.. Why are you so nervous now?'_ I thought to myself, trying to calm myself down.

A minute or two passed.  
I looked at my phone screen, nothing changed. The 'read' text is still there.   
5 minutes have gone by.. still no response. _'THIS ISNT HELPING ME CALM MYSELF DOWN-_ _AAAGH_ _'_ i thought to myself, frustrated. _'did i do something wrong? Why arent they responding??'_ i asked myself.

..Wait a second..  
DID THIS PERSON JUST LEFT ME ON READ- FUCKING **R E A D ? ?**

_'Oh wow what a very nice number neighbor i have here'_

I sighed in defeat, knowing well that they probably think im a creep or something.. Damn im starting to regret ever hopping on this trend or whatever.  
And just as i was about to turn off my phone, a notification popped up.

‹ 1 new message from Number Neighbor :D ° ｡  
My eyes widened at the sudden notification, my mouth were practically hanging open from the shock that they answered. _'Maybe i was overthinking too much..aha'_ i thought to myself. As i was about to click on the notification, my phone died. Yes. It **died.**  
FUCK WHY DID IT EVEN HAVE TO DIE WHEN THEY JUST **RESPONDED!?**  
 _'Oh my fucking god. It just HAD to die when they finally responded. Oh wow. Thanks phone, very much thanks.'_

I was probably too caught up on overthinking to the point that i didnt realize that my battery was dying. I groaned and got out of bed to charge my phone while mumbling some curses under my breath. _'Welp, guess ill answer their text another time'_ I thought to myself.

I'm pretty excited though.  
If the person wants to be friends then i'll have one new friend AND i can flex my number neighbor to my friends~ Just thinking about it makes me smile, I uncosciously smiled to myself while looking at my phone thats being charged. Not noticing the presence of someone leaning on the front door of my room.

"Ace."  
...  
"A c e ."  
...  
"ACE!" They yelled, making me pull out of my thoughts and finally realizing the presence of the person standing in my door. Startled, i accidentally fell out of my bed. My butt landing on the not so comfortable floor, i groaned at the pain. I looked up to see who were standing at my door. I widened my eyes at the sight of Sabo looking mad. _'Welp.. This is my ending, Sorry number neighbor. I cant flex about you now'_ I thought to myself while Sabo was still sending glares at me. I was practically sweating bullets by now, wanting to break the tension, I spoke up.

"Yeeeeess..?" I said.  
"Why didn't you respond when i yelled at the top of my lungs telling you to come down and eat since food is ready? Fifteen times. Fifteen times ace, i yelled at the top of my lungs just for me to get no response from you." Sabo asked, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

"Well you see..I was thinking about some stuffs..yea..haha" I responded nervously.  
Sabo raised his eyebrows and sighed.  
"Alright whatever, I'm not gonna question you further. Come downstairs to eat before luffy finishes all the meat." Sabo says while making his way downstairs

With that, i went downstairs to eat.

**_ Number Neighbor's POV _ **

I was lazily looking out of my window, admiring the scenery infront of me. It was mildly relaxing, the rain gave me comfort.

That is, until a sudden notification sound disturbed the comfortable silence. _'Who the hell..?'_ I thought to myself as I pulled my phone out to see what the notification was.

A message notification.  
Now that's pretty rare for me to get, considering people barely even taking notice of my presence existing.  
Curiousity got the best of me and i clicked on the notification.

An unknown number. It was from an unknown number.  
I blinked repeatedly as i read the message over and over again. It was just a simple 'Hello' message.  
I was debating whether i should respond or not, taking cautiousness that it might be someone who might wants to blackmail me like last time.

You must be confused.  
Blackmail? Yes blackmail.  
Let's just say i'm not really...loved here. Perhaps you could say i'm hated. The last time an unknown number texted me, i opened up to them too much to the point where i put my trust in them. A dumb move i must say.

It turns out that the unknown number was a classmate of mine, using the information i gave to them while i was venting.. They blackmailed me and spread a shit ton of rumors in the school. Making me hated.

Not like i was already hated in the first place. To them, my existence is barely there. They just ignore me if i cross paths with them. But after those rumors spread? They begin giving me looks. Looks that i really hated.

What was the rumor about? That's for you to find out yourself, as if i'm going to open up to you. A **reader** that i barely even know. I'll give you a hint though, it involves with the lgbtq+ community. You got a idea yet? Yep.

Well, enough thinking. I'll just respond to this text.

** _Unknown Number_ **   
_online_

4:37 PM

Unknown Number :  
Hello?

Me :  
Hi? Who are you, what's your goal this time? If you're thinking about fucking up my life again, think twice.

•••

Now now, i understand that it's a bit rude to jump to conclusions but i can't afford to put my guard down. Not after i've suffered enough.

I turned off my phone as i pressed the send button. Putting my phone down, i resume to what i was doing before. Admiring the rainy scenery infront of me.

It was just so calming, i couldn't fight off the urge to close my eyes so i just went with it and dozed off.

•••

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo !! The OC Is finally here~~   
> Ace is a tad bit OOC in this chapter but, i'm currently trying my best to make Ace's personality fit more (its my first time writing an Ace FanFic so bare with me)  
> So some chapters in the future might have an OOC Ace, just a fair warning.


	3. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ace eating with asl and finally responds to the number neighbor.

**_ Ace's POV _ **

I followed Sabo downstairs to eat.  
And right as i stepped out my room, my nose picked up a really tasty smell. 

"Sabo, whats this smell?" I asked, following the smell   
"Food." He simply responded

The smell lead me to the kitchen, i looked around trying to figure out what Sabo cooked. And my gaze immediately went to the eating table, in there, there was a DOZEN of plates of cooked fried chicken glazed with gravy.

I stopped in my tracks, just...admiring the food infront of me.  
I was just staring at it until my stomach grumbled loudly, making Sabo laugh at me and poking my stomach.

"Relax, theres alot you can eat. I made sure of it" Sabo said, walking past me and taking a seat in the table.  
I immediately snapped out of my thoughts and took a seat, devouring the delicious meal infront of me.

Sabo just looks at me before sighing, he took a Splayd (Knife & Fork) and started eating at a normal pace.  
"Ne, Swabo? (Ne, Sabo?)" I asked, still devouring the food displayed infront of me

"Ace, swallow your food first before speaking" He replied, not taking his gaze off of his food.  
"Riiifght.." I muttered and then swallowed the food.

Gulp.  
"Wheres Luffy? Its rare not seeing him in the dining room even though theres food in the table" I asked curiously  
"He's gonna be here soon, actually he'll enter right...."  
"Now." As if on cue, Luffy entered the dining room grinning widely

"FOOOOOOD~!!" He yelled before dashing to take a seat and immediately devouring the meat.  
"OI LUFF-" **SMACK!**

A piece of meat flew towards my direction, slapping my face in the process.

...  
The meat slowly slid off my face, leaving me being smeared in gravy.  
My eyebrows twitched in annoyance as silence filled the room

"Shishishi~ Sorry Ace! I didnt mean t-"   
"YOU BASTARD!" I barked at him, throwing the meat that fell off of my face to his. Making dinner an accidental food fight.

Lets just say that ended up with Sabo punching both of our heads, making us grow a bump in our heads (Comically..)   
That hurt. A l o t . Sabo can really pack a punch.

"Sorry.." Me and Luffy said in Unison, staring at the floor while being on our knees.  
"You better be! Now i'm gonna have to clean up this mess" Sabo said, annoyance clear in his voice.

Sabo sighed, throwing a towel towards our direction and saying "Go shower. You both smell like Gravy." 

"YES SIR!" Luffy and i say in unison, dashing to the bathroom to go clean ourselves.

It..wasnt a good feeling. My whole body was STICKY... It felt.. outright **dirty.** Not that i care much anyway, i still play in mud even though im 17 (Supposedly almost an _'adult'_ Sabo would say)

I finished cleaning myself, tossed the dirty clothes to the laundry to wash.

I put on a simple basketball shorts. They're comfy, what can i say?  
I'm not even gonna bother putting on a shirt, i like sleeping with only shorts on. It gets hot at night for some unknown reason, even though i have an air conditioner (AC).

I plopped down to the bed, sighing to myself.  
"I hope tomorrows an eventful day, todays really boring. Except the number neighbor thing.." 

Ah, talking about number neighbors..  
 _'Did they reply yet?'_ I thought to myself, reaching out for my phone thats charging on the night stand beside me.

I unplugged it and turned it on. Immediately checking my messages  
I clicked on the message and my eyes widen in surprise.

Well.. guess they arent a friendly bunch, but it wont hurt to try and warm up to them. 

...Right?  
  


** _Number Neighbor :D_ **   
_last online 14 minutes ago_

4:37 PM

Me :  
Hello?

Number Neighbor :D :  
Hi? Who are you, what's your goal this time? If you're thinking about fucking up my life again, think twice.

Me :  
Whoa okay, i mean no harm i reassure youI'm simply saying hello to my number neighbor!I understand if you feel uh..whats the word again?Cautious?? Yeah that, cautious of me. I mean, i did text you out of nowhere (ﾟｰﾟ;)

Welp. There it is. My nightmare. They think im a creep now.  
Smooth Ace, Smoooth...  
 _'I wonder what made them be like that.. Mean. I mean, im not gonna judge, i used to be like that when i was 10...'_

Speaking of being mean, that reminds me.. of how me and luffy met..

_**⌜ Flashback 7 Years Ago ⌟** _

_In Mt. Colubo, Dadan's Orphanage..._

_"_ OIIIIIII!! COME BACK!! BE MY FRIEENDD !" A 7 year old Luffy yelled, while chasing Ace who was on the run to god who knows where.

"NO! IM NOT GONNA BE YOUR FRIEND, STOP FOLLOWING ME AROUND!" I yelled, looking back only to kick a tree down towards Luffy's direction, hoping it would stop his tracks.

I started running even faster, trying to lose Luffy.  
And i did.

I lost Luffy, He was nowhere near me now. Thats good.

You might be wondering, Why is Luffy even chasing me around?  
Well, let me tell you something..

It started like what? 2 Weeks ago, when my 'grandpa' dropped Luffy in the orphanage.   
Needless to say, the kid started bugging me, asking to be his friend, heck he even followed me around like a little duck most of the days.

I have no clue why this kid wants to be my friend, he just decided it on his own which..irritated me more. I **NEVER** signed up for this, i never signed up to have a 7 year old kid literally following me everywhere, even in the bathroom.

So i started going out from the orphanage more, hoping Luffy wont ask me to be his friend no more since i'm barely in the orphanage.

Oh was i so wrong..  
The kid..how do i say this-  
The kid was just so determined to make me his friend to the fact he'd follow me out to the jungle, Heck if i said ' _If you wanna be my friend, then jump off this cliff'_ he'd probably do it. Thats what scares me.

What does this kid want from me ??  
Its gotten so extreme i had to throw trees at his face just to make him lose sight of me, Its honestly..tiring.

But whatever, i cant risk him seeing my secret hideout.  
If he does then im doomed. I doubt that mouth of his can keep a secret since he keeps blabbering about stuffs.

But one day, he somehow managed to dodge the tree i threw at him and continued following me to my secret hideout.

Its not a secret hideout anymore is it.. Oh well.

Why do i have a secret hideout? Well, to store stuffs. To be more exact, to store money and jewelry i pickpocketed from people. Not the best thing to do but hey, no one would offer a job to a 10 year old. Would they?

I had to improvise.  
WHY exactly am i pickpocketing money exactly? Well thats easy, Once i gather enough money, me and sabo can finally get out of this shitty town and move somewhere far away.

Needless to say, that didnt happen.  
Lets just say Accidents tend to lead to another Accident. 

The other Accident involves losing all the money and jewelry me and sabo has built up over the years.

Shitty luck. Yes i know.

But a bad thing always lead to a good thing, atleast.. Thats what Luffy said.

And its true, after the 'Accident' someone wanted to adopt the tree of us. All three of us, Me, Sabo, and Luffy.

Honestly, i dont regret anything. I finally have a family, a family with a dad and a shit ton of brothers.   
Who exactly adopted me? Well i'm sure you guys can piece up all the hints now.

Its none other than Whitebeard. Or.. Edward Newgate as some people might know.  
I have no clue why he adopted us, he just said 'You piqued my interest brat'

But oh well, im glad he adopted us.

_**⌜ Back To The Present ⌟** _

I laugh quietly at the memory of Luffy chasing me around the woods.

Ah.. good times, real good times.  
I got too distracted until the fact that i didnt realize it was 8 PM now.

 _'Why does time go by so fast??'_  
Oh well, guess i'll do homework and then go to sleep afterwards.  
I got up and started doing my homework one by one til i finished and went off to the land of dreams~

* * *

Word Count :: 1382  
Date :: 10/13/2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo! I'm back with another new chapter. sorry this one's shorter than the other ones (writings block is a bitch) and i also apologize for the ooc-ness in ace. 
> 
> I'm trying my best and currently experimenting on writing Ace's character, please be patient with me.


	4. Cautious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> number neighbor finally replies!  
> ace tries his hardest to build up trust with said number neighbor.

_**Number Neighbor's POV** _

I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm clock, indicating that it is indeed 5 AM now. 

I lazily open my eyes, scanning the area around me.

Making an attempt to stand up but failing miserably as my whole body felt sore when my feet touched the carpet floor of my bedroom.

_'Shit.. why am i so sore again..?'_

...

_'Ah right, i slept next to the window again.. Jee, i really need to stop doing that. My whole body is in one hell of a pain right now.'_

I grumpily stood up straight, stretching until i heard a satisfying 'POP!' from my bones.

 _'Ah, there we go..'_ I thought to myself.

I walked towards the bathroom slowly, washing my face and brushing my teeth in the process.

I looked up from the bathroom sink to the mirror, scaring myself accidentally by my own reflection.

My hair was messy and had knots in it, The outfit i was wearing..was all crumbled up, you name it.

_'I look like fucking shrek oh god..'_ I thought to myself, scrunching my face when my brain decided to imagine myself having shrek's facial features.

_'NOPE NOT HAPPENING. WHY AM I EVEN IMAGINING THIS-'_

Immediately putting the thought aside, i started combing my hair.

Grabbing a towel and showering afterwards.

After having a refreshing shower, i looked at my wall clock.

5:10 AM. The clock indicated that the time right now was 5:10 AM.

_'I still have 50 minutes left til school opens.'_

Eh, i still had alot of time anyways so i did my makeup.

My schedule today didnt have anything that could possibly make you sweat so i decided to go with a simple look for now. (Since some shitty classmates keeps giving me glares through the whole day the first time i went to school with my normal makeup look)

(Since some shitty classmates keeps giving me glares through the whole day the first time i went to school with my normal makeup look)

It roughly took 15 minutes, not too much.

It really didnt take that long since i was pretty talented with my hands, or..makeup in general.

I walked over to my closet and opened it, reaching for my school uniform.

I walked over to my closet and opened it, reaching for my school uniform

Honestly.. yes the uniform looks good.

BUT THE LAYERS-

THE AMOUNT OF GOD DAMN LAYERS IN THIS UNIFORM JUST PISSES ME OFF

And the fact that the shitty school has a dress code that involves always wearing the blazer 24/7 in school grounds which does not help at all with the blazing hot sun thats also always here 24/7.

Once i finished putting on my uniform, i went downstairs to cook breakfast.

The time was roughly 5:25 AM. I still had alot of time so i took my time and cooked Toasted bread with mashed avocado and poached egg on top.

Grabbing my phone and turning it on, i went to my downloaded song as i hummed along with it while cooking.

⠀» [cloud 9] «

✧ 0:34 ─〇───── 2:33

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

_**I dont wanna seem the way i do ♫** _

I hummed cheerfully to the tune of the song, opening one of the cabinet and grabbing a slice of bread.

**_But i'm confident when i'm with you ♫_ **

Putting the bread in the toaster, setting it to toast in medium heat for a few minutes. I walked towards the fridge, grabbing an avocado. 

Peeling the avocado and separating the seed from the meat of the fruit, grabbing a small bowl as i dumped the insides of the avocado in it. 

_**Lately all i feel is bad and bruised ♫** _

I nodded my head at the beat of the song, also unconsciously moving my hips as i started to mash the avocado.

**_Tired of tripping on my shoes ♫_ **

Once i was finished with the avocado, i set out a pot and filled it with water before letting it heat up. Once it heated up to the right temperature, i grabbed an egg and cracked it in the pot.

Letting it be for 2 minutes before grabbing it out.

**_But when he loves me i feel like i'm floating ♫_ **

Readying to plate the meal all together, i placed the toasted bread on the plate. Putting mashed avocados on top, and to finish it... The poached egg like a cherry on top~

_ (A/N:: This is actually one of my favorite breakfast foods hehe) _

Feeling accomplished of myself, i sat down at the dining table and happily ate it til there was none left.

Putting the now dirty plate in the dishwasher, i went upstairs to grab my school bag.

Once that was done, i grabbed the house key and walked outside. Closing and locking the door behind me.

Now..you might ask.

Am i all alone in this house? Am i an orphan? 

To answer that, well yes. I indeed am alone in this huge house, No. I am not an orphan, I have parents.

Why arent they here, you might ask?

Well, they moved out of the country 4 years ago. Leaving me to my own devices, basically abandoning me.

But they paid. They paid the house bills, electricity, and water bills. So they technically didnt forget that they had an 18 year old child all alone in their old house.

For siblings, i do have some. 1 Younger brother and 1 Older sister & brother. 

Though, they went with my parents and moved from the country to god knows where.

I still kept in touch with them though, ..If you count exchanging Hi's and Goodnight's at eachother that is.

Welp, im fine with life. As long as i dont die its perfectly fine.

The walk towards my school isnt that long, its roughly a 5 minute walk.

I'd usually listen to some music while walking to the school but this time, i just decided to admire the sky.

Lets just say.. i dont particularly like school exactly.

Yeah, i liked learning. Heck i was and still is a straight A student so me hating classes was not possible.

It was.. the students.

The classmates.

They're all shits. Seriously.

Homophobic AND Likes BL Mangas? Please. Pick a fucking struggle-

My school isnt exactly LGBTQ+ friendly, hence thats why when the news that i identified as a 'Non-Binary' spread out, alot of students looked at me weirdly and started giving comments.

' _ThErES onLY tWo gEndERs YoU DumBaSs'_

_ 'yOU IdEntiFY aS NoN BinARy?! WeLL thEN i IDentiFY As aN AtTAcK HelICoptER' _

Literally. 

Shut.

The.

Fuck.

**Up.**

Atleast if you wanna insult me, be more creative jesus fucking christ.

I got blackmailed quiite often in this school, the culprit was mostly girls but there were times where boys was involved too.

Its literally disgusting in here.

I just wanna be homeschooled or move out. Thats it. Thats my only wish.

I stopped in my tracks, staring at the school gates and mentally preparing myself for today.

 _'Its alright.. School ends earlier than usual today, you got this..'_ I thought to myself, trying to calm down.

Sighing, i stepped inside the gates. Moving towards the school.

Scanning my area, spotting some students talking to each other here and there.

I took out my phone, hoping to distract myself from whatever the students are talking about to each other.

My eyes widen in surprise, seeing a message notification from the unknown number that texted me yesterday.

_'Oh they actually did reply to my rude text. Cool.'_

_**Unknown Number** _ _l_

_last online 12:32 AM_

4:37 PM

Unknown Number :

Hello?

Me :

Hi? Who are you, what's your goal this time? If you're thinking about fucking up my life again, think twice.

Unknown Number :

Whoa okay, i mean no harm i reassure youI

I'msimply saying hello to my number neighbor!

I understand if you feel uh..whats the word again?

Cautious?? Yeah that, cautious of me. I mean, i did text you out of nowhere (ﾟｰﾟ;)

* * *

' _Ah..They're kind.'_

_'Shit i fucked up'_

_'Wait..'_

_'Number Neighbor?'_

I immediately clicked on the contacts profile, checking their number.

They weren't lying. They really were my Number Neighbor.

_'I really fucked up, oops'_

Deciding that the person meant no harm, i texted them back.

* * *

**_Unknown Number_ **

_last online 12:32 AM_

Today

5:43 AM

Me :

Ahh, I see. Is that it?

Well then sorry. I also mean no harm by the text i sent you yesterday.

Thought you were just another one of my classmates that wanted to blackmail me. 

Again, i apologize. 

* * *

And... sent !

Hopefully they would take that shitty apology from me.

Oh well, too late to turn back now.

Its not like i can reverse time anyways.

Though you really cant blame me for being cautious, can you?

As if on cue, the bell for the first period rang.

I putted my phone back in my backpack and rushed towards my assigned classroom.

_**Ace's POV** _

"Ace."

"ACE"

"ACE RISE AND SHINE!!" 

I heard a familiar voice say, groaning, i finally opened my eyes just to be blinded by the sun.

"What the hell..?" I muttered, annoyed since i barely had enough sleep.

"Ace wake up, you're gonna be late if you keep being like this." The familiar voice said

I looked up to see who it was, and it was Sabo.

"What time is it..?" I mumbled quietly, but loud enough for Sabo to hear.

"6:21 AM" He replied, making my eyes go wide

"HOLY SHIT WHY DIDNT YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER?!" I yelled, immediately getting up and going to the bathroom to cleanse myself.

"I tried to, you kept mumbling something about flying meat" Sabo sweatdropped.

...

"Ah." I said, remembering what i dreamt about

"Anyways, your clothes is in your bed, come downstairs and we'll immediately go to school. I packed food for you already so you arent gonna be hungry the whole day." Sabo stated, making his way downstairs.

I didnt really have time to do a full shower so i just brushed my teeth, washed my face and sprayed dry shampoo on my hair.

I got out of the bathroom, searching for the clothes Sabo left for me. 

It was long black pants, and a white t-shirt with an extra denim blue jacket.

Shirts... I hate shirts.

They're suffocating. 

Deciding that i didnt wanna wear the shirt, i just wore the pants and the jacket.

I left the jacket unbuttoned so it wouldnt suffocate me too much.

Once that was done, i packed my finished homework to my bag and wentdownstairs.

Both Sabo and Luffy was waiting at the front door, Glad they didnt leave me behind like that one time i accidentally slept in, i gave them a big toothy smile.

Sabo snapped his head towards my direction and gave me a ghost smile.

He was wearing a simple white blouse layered with a brown sweater and long black pants.

While Luffy, was wearing a simple red sweatshirt with the text 'MEAT' infront and short pants.

Yeah, our school doesnt have a dresscode. I'm pretty glad for that.

Our school doesnt have a dress code because it really isnt a normal school.

You see.. Theres something called 'Devil Fruits' in here, though not alot of people know the fruit is actually real, some think its just a myth.

But its true, Devil Fruits existed.

Lets just say our school is for students that has consumed a Devil Fruit, or just simply students who wants to learn how to fight.

Hence, thats why we dont have normal classes here like Science, Geography, or other things.

We do have Hand-to-Hand Combat, Swordsman Classes, Weaponry, and Other useful subjects students can choose.

I'm honestly grateful, because i would be failing if i went to a normal school.

Putting school aside, Me, Sabo, and Luffy walked towards the Bus stop. 

Talking about different stuffs.

The bus was already there when we arrived so we didnt have to wait any longer. (Probably because i woke up late but oh well)

Me and my brothers took our usual seat in the back, still having conversations between each of us.

"Shishishi!~ I did that Number Neighbor thing ! It turned out that my number neighbor is really nice!" Luffy said

"Oh? Whats his name?" Sabo asked.

"Torao!" Luffy replied, grinning widely.

"To..rao..?" I said, tilting my head.

"Yep! Shishishi!~" Luffy says as he shows me and sabo a chat between Luffy and this Torao dude

* * *

** _Torao_ **

_online_

Yesterday

3:23 PM

Me :

Hi !! :D

Torao :

Who's number is this? 

Me :

My names Luffy ! Your number neighbor!! v(≧∇≦v)

Torao :

Number what..?

Me :

Number neighbor ! You know that thign people are talking about?

Dont tell me you dont know ?!?!Σ(･口･)

Torao :

...No i fortunately dont know about that.

Trends arent my thing.

Me :

I see!

Hey, Whats your name??

Can i see your face?

What doyou look like??

Are you tall?

Heres a picture of me ! :DDD

[Image:: of luffy smiling]

i just took it ! :DD

Torao :

..I wont tell you anything since i barely know you but the name's Trafalgar Law.

Me :

Turafalgar law??

Torao :

No. Its **Trafalgar** Law.

Me :

You have a hard name (・ε・'*) ...

I'll just name you Torao~ :DD

Torao :

Right...

* * *

"Shishishi! See? Arent Torao nice?" Luffy said

Me and Sabo sweatdropped at the texts they exchanged

"Yyeeeaahh..." I responded nervously.

 _'Oh yeah, talking about Number Neighbors.. Did they reply to me yet?'_ I thought to myself, taking out my phone and checking the messages.

_‹ 4 New Messages from Number Neighbor :D_

_'They replied!'_ I grinned at the message notification, not realizing that Sabo was staring at me.

* * *

**_ Number Neighbor :D _ **

_last online 5:45 AM_

Today

5:43 AM

Number Neighbor :D :

Ahh, I see. Is that it?

Well then sorry. I also mean no harm by the text i sent you yesterday.

Thought you were just another one of my classmates that wanted to blackmail me. 

Again, i apologize. 

6:30 AM

Me :

Its all good !

If i may ask you, Whats your name?

My name's Ace, Nice to meet you!

If you're still suspicious of me, i can send you a picture of my face so you know im not one of your classmates if you want?

* * *

Hopefully that would get them to trust me a bit more..

I heard a 'ding!' notification, indicating that i got a new message.

_'Oh they answer pretty quickly'_

* * *

**_ Number Neighbor :D _ **

_Online_

Number Neighbor :D : 

Thanks for accepting my shitty apology haha.

The name's Lynn. Nice to meet you too, Ace.

And to answer your offer, if you're comfortable then please do send me a picture of you.

To make it up for my rudeness, i'll also send a picture of myself. Hows that?

Me :

Deal !

Wait a sec, i'll search for a picture

Number Neighbor :D : 

Alright, take your time.

Me :

[[Image]](https://pin.it/5n9T9qA)

**_(A/N :: Art credits to @//kkskzz on twitter)_ **

Me :

The handsome one is me~ ;)))

Number Neighbor :D :

..Which one exactly..

Me :

The handsome one! D:

Number Neighbor :D :

Ace, all three of them looks good.

Me :

😧 ARE YOU IMPLYING MY BROTHERS ARE MORE HANDSOME THAN ME?!?!

LYNN IM HURT T-T

I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU

Number Neighbor :D :

Oh so those are your brothers?

Me :

Yes..And what you just said was basically telling me im at the same level of handsome of my brothers.. I'm more handsome dont you think? T-T

Number Neighbor :D :

How was i supposed to know..

We just met- Wait no, contacted each other yesterday.. (￣ー￣；

Me :

WELL THEN !! To clear up the confusion im the handsome freckled one~ ;)

Number Neighbor :D :

Interesting..

Well then i suppose its my turn to show my face?

Me :

INTERESTING?!?#$$ THATS ALL YOURE GONNA SAY ABOUT ME??

Atleast tell me im handsome >:(

Number Neighbor :D : 

Riiiight..

Lets just get this over with, i have classes to attend.

[[Image]](https://pin.it/p9S063j)

**_(A/N :: Tysm @//NudeKay for this!!)_ **

There. I did my part, i'll be off.

Talk to you later, Ace.

_Number Neighbor :D Logged Off._

* * *

...

 _'Whoa she's.. she's pretty..'_ I thought to myself, unconsciously smiling at the image before me.

"Ace?" Sabo questioned, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah? Doyou need anything?" I replied

"Oh, nothing. Simply curious as to why you kept smiling at your screen" Sabo bluntly said

Not even noticing it, my face flushed red. Making my freckles more visible.

"Ehh?! Ace was smiling at his phone screen??" Luffy asked, jumping into the conversation

"Yeah Luffy~ I think our Ace has a crush on someone~" Sabo taunted.

"REALLY?!?!" Luffy gawked, whipping his head back and forth between Me and my phone

"W-WHATS SO SURPRISING ABOUT THAT?!" I yelled defensively, accidentally making me the center of attention.

_'Shit.'_

"Whats so surprising about that..? Well, you ARE known for your endless flirting at school, and not alot can make you blush Ace. Infact, you blushing is a rare occasion. Unless.. You indeed do have a crush eh?~" Sabo said in a matter-of-fact tone, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Sabo whats with you.. This isnt the sabo i know" I sweat dropped.

"I apologize, i wanted to see how my older brother would reply." Sabo smirked.

"It's just my Number Neighbor, we only started chatting today. Nothing new." I tried to reason

"Number Neighbor? Thats rare of you to hop on trends" Sabo said, surprised by my response.

"Well this one seemed interesting so i did it." I shrugged, not thinking much of it.

"YOU HAVE A NUMBER NEIGHBOR TOO?!?!" Luffy gawked, stars in his eyes.

"Yep! Her name's Lynn. She's very pre- I mean, nice." I replied

"Her? Its a female?" Sabo asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

"Yeah, by the picture she sent me, i'm pretty sure its a female." I responded

"SHE GAVE YOU A PICTURE OF HER FACE?!?! WAAHH LUCKYY Torao wont show me his face" Luffy whined

"Uh, Luffy i think thats because you kept asking them alot of questions at once and they felt a bit overwhelmed.." I reasoned.

"Still Lucky.." Luffy whined quietly.

"Welp, enough of that Number Neighbor stuff. The bus stopped, we're at school already lets go." Sabo said

"Ah, right!" I grabbed my back and went out of the bus, Sabo and Luffy following behind me.

"What class doyou have first?" I asked both of them.

"Hand-to-hand combat classes with Mr. Dragon" Sabo replied

"Weaponry with Miss Baby 5" Luffy replied

"Ah, guess im alone again. I got Physical Strength Build Up with Mr. Smoker." I stated

"Well, see you both at lunch!" Sabo says

And with that, we all went to our assigned classes.

* * *

Word count :: 3126

Date :: 10/14/2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, this is one long chapter i just did. I'll be explaining more of my OC, Lynn sooner or later. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the prologue! I hope its not too bad, please alert me if theres any grammatical mistakes!  
> I'll be posting chapter 1 next week~


End file.
